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NATO

Norway and Denmark give guarantee to Nordic neighbours over Nato bids

Norway, Denmark and Iceland stated on Monday they would provide assistance "by all means necessary" to their Nordic neighbours, Sweden and Finland, should either of the latter two countries face attacks on their territory before joining Nato.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has announced her government's decision to take Sweden into Nato. File photo: JANEK SKARZYNSKI / AFP

The Danish Prime Minister’s office on Monday issued a joint statement on behalf of Denmark, Norway and Iceland.

“Finland and Sweden’s security is a matter of common concern to us all. Should Finland or Sweden be victim of aggression on their territory before obtaining Nato membership, we will assist Finland and Sweden by all means necessary,” the statement reads.

Earlier on Monday, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson announced her government’s decision to take Sweden into Nato, ending two centuries of military non-alignment.

Sweden and Finland have both expressed a desire to act in lockstep on Nato membership and submit their applications jointly.

“We strongly welcome Finland and Sweden’s decisions to apply for Nato membership,” the statement from Denmark, Norway and Iceland read.

“We note that the decisions by Finland and Sweden to apply for Nato membership are sovereign national decisions in line with Finland and Sweden’s right to choose their own security arrangements. Finland and Sweden have the right to pursue their accession process without any attempts of outside interference,” the three countries said in the statement.

Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre said that “together with Denmark and Iceland, Norway stands ready to assist its Nordic neighbours by all means necessary should they be the victim of aggression on their territory before obtaining Nato membership.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told media on Monday afternoon that the government would forward a motion to parliament “as soon as possible” on the Swedish and Finnish applications to join Nato.

She added that Denmark is fully behind the applications to join the defence alliance.

“In our eyes, this brings an opportunity to strengthen Nordic partnerships, including on security and defence,” she said.

“We therefore want Denmark to do everything it can to make sure Finland and Sweden join Nato as soon as possible,” she said.

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MILITARY

US troops to mount exercise on Danish Baltic island

US troops are planning to take part in a military exercise on the island of Bornholm next month, marking the third time in three years US soldiers have trained on Danish soil.

US troops to mount exercise on Danish Baltic island

Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, revealed the planned exercise, which will take plance between May 1st and May 7th in a briefing to the Danish parliament’s defence committee.

As part of the exercise, US troops will ship an unnamed weapons system to Bornholm Airport, and then set it up in a military exercise area, but would not then fire any shots or missiles. 

“The exercise has a military training aspect, but also sends a signal about the solidarity of the alliance, about American commitment to security in Europe and in our own immediate area,” Lund Poulsen said in the briefing.

US troops took part in similar exercises in 2022 and 2023 on the strategically placed island, which lies 360km away from the Russian and controls access to the western Baltic. 

The US had requested permission to train on Bornholm, which the Danish government then accepted. There is no change in Danish armed forces’ assessment of the threat against Bornholm or Denmark, Lund Poulsen stressed. 

In December, Denmark entered into an agreement with the US, which permits US soldiers and equipment to be kept permanently on Danish soil, with hte US granted access to the Karup, Skrydstrup and Aalborg air bases.

When US troops held a similar exercise on the island in 2022, with a large missile system deployed to the island, the Russian ambassador to Denmark sent an official warning. 

“This can be seen as taking a step towards changing Bornholm from an island of peace to a potential military bridgehead,” Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, told the Danish broadcaster TV2.

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